Question: I'm hoping you can recommend a lush looking houseplant
which will be happy in an otherwise bright "sun room" which receives only a
little actual sunlight. Something that looks tropical and exotic, and maybe
even makes flowers which are fragrant?
Answer: Perfect timing because at this moment, my much beloved Amazon
Lily (Eucharis grandiflora) is currently flowering spectacularly! I've had
this particular plant for nearly twenty years, and it's one of my absolute
favorites.
The Silas Woods is an outstanding variety of Sapodilla.
The tree has dwarf growth habit (under 20 ft in the ground) and adapts
well to a container.
This variety is highly productive.
Trees are producing year round, the branches often require support as
they get very heavily loaded with fruits. Perfect fruit tree for small yards
and container culture!
This is interesting! According to Harvard Medical School research, gardening activities are compared with
some serious workout! Calories burned in 30 minutes by:
Climate change is wiping out the Baobab, Africa's tree of life...
According to The Guardian News and Media, Africa's "tree of life" may not have much
longer left... These highly important species are threatened with
extinction, due to climate change and human development. Some species may not survive
the next century. While plants have generally adapted to extended droughts,
climate change is different, and with the Anthropocene, we are already
witnessing the loss of these impressive trees. Africa's largest, oldest inhabitants,
that have played silent witness to numerous generations, are already paying a
heavy price for the environmental crimes of foreign lands.
Baobab forms an integral part in people's livelihoods. In West Africa,
it is also called the "palaver tree" because of its social functions: when
there is a problem in the community, meeting under the Baobab tree with the
chief or the tribesmen would be synonymous with trying to find a solution to
that problem; it reinforces trust and respect among members of the community.
Its extinction would not simply be an environmental tragedy...
Every tropical gardener should have a Baobab to help to save this amazing species for the planet!
Fascinating Spekboom (Portulacaria afra, or Baby Jade)
By Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc ...I love this plant! I first grew it in the 1960s when I was just a
kid. I found it growing as a fantastic four-foot tall houseplant in a big sunny
window in a schoolmate's home and was happily given a cutting. When I
inquired about this most unusual plant, my friend's mother explained that she had
brought a piece of it with her when she came from South Africa many years
earlier. She told me that in Africa, it is a favorite food for both Elephants and
Rhinoceros and that it was grown all over her families farm for feeding both
animals and people. Being a little kid in Illinois, I found this especially
fascinating...
Continue reading...
Q: I
purchased a Plumeria from your company. It has done quite nicely and now has
produced a seed pod. Please forward me information on how to care for it and use
the seeds that may be inside to propagate another plant.
A: Wait
until seeds are ripe (seed pod turns brownish). Soak seeds overnight. Use only
well-drained soil. The ideal mix is Adenium mix that we use for desert roses and Plumerias. Insert the
heavy end of seed 1/4" into the soil, leaving feathered end exposed. Place the
pot in direct sunlight. Don't allow the soil to completely dry out, but don't
let it be soggy. Germination occurs usually within three to four weeks. Do not
overwater.
Mark you calendars: Groundhog Day Event 2/2 @ TopTropicals
Groundhog
Day: Spring will surely come!
Event: Top Container Plants @ Top Tropicals
When: Saturday, Feb 2, from 10 am - 5 pm
Where: Top Tropicals Garden Center, 13890 Orange River Blvd, Ft
Myers, FL
More info: Check our Facebook Event Page or call Anna Banana @ 239-771-8081
Agenda: - 25% OFF everything + freebies for local customers
- Best container fruit trees, Condo Mangos, and Avocados. No matter if
Groundhog promises early or late spring, you can keep them in pots!
- Snacks and drinks
Click on ticket link to save and print invitation flyer (for 2
people).
Black Jade Vine is a real gem of a rare plant collection and a
conversation piece when in bloom. The flower color is beyond description, as most of
the Jade vines. This spectacular woody climber is closely related to red Jade
vine (Mucuna bennettii). Branches sparsely velvet-hairy, and blackish purple
flowers hanging in racemes. Drooping flower-cluster-stalks are up to 1 ft
long and 6" in diameter! The blooms appear closely pushed together in grape-like
clusters. Flowers are clustered in threes; each cluster supported by a
deciduous bract. It is a very vigorous woody tree creeper - during warmer weather
it can grow 2 feet or more a week. Cold hardy in Florida to at least zone 9b.
This plant is a must for every rare tropical plant collection. It is
easy to grow and doesn't require much care once established other than regular
watering. In colder climates with a hard freeze, this spectacular vine can be
grown in a large container providing a strong trellis support.
Q: I
intend to gift three avocados, at least one type A and one type B, to a friend who
lives in an area where the temperature never goes below 25F. The idea is to
give them a ripening season as long as possible. Which combinations do you
suggest, and which are the A and B?
A: When
talking about "A" type and "B" type in Avocados, we are referring to the
flowers. An avocado will produce both male and female flowers on the same plant.
"A" type means that the flowers are female in the morning and male at
afternoon. "B" type means that the flowers are male in the morning and female in the
afternoon. If you plant to start a commercial growth, then it's important to
create a proper mix of both types. However, in hot and humid climate a single
tree produces flowers of both types, so it is NOT necessary to have both A-
and B- types planted together in the backyard. Even a single tree produces
enough fruit for a home gardener.
It is also important to know that while there are "more cold hardy"
avocados (hardy to as low as 15F), it refers to a full grown established tree.
Young trees still need protection from the cold until they are bigger and more
established. One can not expect a small tree planted in June to survive the
first winter with a hard freeze. It'll take a few years until the tree is
strong enough.
These a few rare varieties that may be of your interest.
Poncho Avocado Very cold hardy variety. Produces medium to large green fruit. It
survived temperatures around 10F near San Antonio, Texas (Zone 8b). Mature trees
can take temperatures down to 15F for short period of time without significant
damage.
Anise Avocado This avocado has strongly scented leaves that smell like Anise. Very
rare variety. Fruit is of excellent quality, creamy and buttery.
Catalina Avocado Catalina is a very nice mid-season pear-shaped fruit that is especially
rich and creamy. It is an extremely popular variety in South Florida in the
Cuban Community. The Story of this variety says...
...Catalina is an amazing avocado floated across from Cuba, 60 years
ago just before Fidel Castro took over the Island Nation. Wise Cubans jumped
into the ocean to escape the Castro regime and tossed in some favorite scions
for us to enjoy here in the States. We owe a great debt to poor old Don Miguel
Cruz de la Santa Maria Espinoza Sanchez Alvarez Jr. who sadly was lost at
sea. His amazing scion wood, wrapped in cellophane and aluminum foil floated
over, washing ashore on Miami Beach. His shiny little package was miraculously
picked up on the shoreline and immediately grafted and cared for by keen-eyed
avocado lovers in Miami...
So be sure to think about this story every time you eat a Catalina!
These three Avocados will provide you with fruit ripening during the
whole warm season.
See more information on avocado varieties and the most cold hardy
cultivars.
We take this opportunity to extend our grateful thanks to all visitors
and friends of our garden and website. The entire Top Tropicals team wishing
you a Happy New Year with Happy New Plants!
In 2019, Top Tropicals plans include (but are not limited to):
- improved design of the website, online store and shopping cart
- many new introductions of rare flowering plants including Red Jade
Vine, lots of new Adeniums
- rare fruit trees, including Mangosteen, Nutmeg, Clove and more
- extended selection of rare tropical seeds
- many new videos of rare tropical plants
- free and discounted shipping
Stay informed with our Newsletter updates!
New Year Resolutions for Gardeners in 2019
January is the month to plan and dream about your yard and garden. Grow
your garden a few steps at a time each year: pick a few resolutions for 2019
and plan accordingly. Next year, a few more, and so on until you build the
garden of your dreams.
This winter, resolve to:
- Hang a bird feeder.
- Order seeds of some rare plants so you can have an early start.
- Prune a tree into an espalier - it's a perfect time before Spring.
- Ask your grandparents what they grew in their gardens.
- Build a raised bed for succulents.
- If you live in a warm climate, plant a fruit tree or two.
- Start a compost pile.
- Plant a palm tree.
- Try some plant boosters to improve your plants hardiness.
- Chose Flowering trees, shrubs and vines suitable for areas in your garden that still have room...
- Install a rain barrel.
- Eat outside as often as possible.
- Show a child how to plant a tree.
- Provide a water source for bees and butterflies. They are not only
cool, but also pollinators that will help to set fruit and seeds!
- Call TopTropicals for garden advise - what to plant, where to plant,
and how not to kill it!
- Plant a berry-bearing tree or shrubs to feed the birds. Mulberry, Blackberry, Tropicals Cherries - are always good choices. They are 15% OFF now, offer expires 1/8/19.
- Rake and save fallen leaves for winter mulch for your garden beds.
- Save seeds from flowers to plant next year.
- Give plants as gifts all year long.
